Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Amidst the hawker stalls at 409 AMK Market & Food Centre, Ms Aiyu shines uniquely. Its vibrant lights, colourful display, and enticing posters showcase a variety of drinks and desserts right at the stall’s entrance.
When I arrived, I took a moment to collect my thoughts over the number of options available. There were 23 types of Taiwan-inspired desserts which were primarily centred around aiyu jelly and bean curd.
Don’t assume I’m finished; there’s more! A separate menu boasts 20 bubble tea options. This stall isn’t handled by a team of 2 or 3, but by a lone superwoman, Ms Aiyu, or ‘爱玉小姐’ as she dubs herself.
Hailing from Ipoh, Malaysia, Ms Aiyu brings a wealth of experience from diverse dessert establishments. Aiyu jelly, often subtle in flavour, gains its taste from complementary ingredients. It’s widely popular in Taiwan and is usually slightly golden in colour.
Both the stall’s signboard and the t-shirt she donned featured an adorable illustration of her, complete with her signature bob hairstyle and glasses, giving two thumbs up. Even her pose, as captured above, was a mirror image— how cute!
Through rigorous taste-testing, she has innovated 6 of her own aiyu jelly variations, featuring interesting flavours like red tea, blue pea, and passionfruit. Even the stall’s bean curd (tau huay) is crafted by her hands; is there anything she can’t do?
What I tried at Ms Aiyu
The first dessert might resemble chendol at first glance with the signature green ‘worms’ and red beans, but it was called Soya Beancurd Deluxe (S$4.50) and served warm. The tau huay was completely invisible due to the amount of condiments that were piled on top: 2 tangyuan balls, roasted peanuts, red beans, pandan jelly and sweet potato mochi.
The bean curd was silky-smooth and wasn’t overly sweet, unlike those found at some other establishments which are steeped in diabetes-inducing syrups. This also allowed me to have a better taste of the other elements together with it.
My mouth was filled with different variations of nuttiness coming from the peanut and black sesame fillings of the glutinous rice balls.
The red beans were soft and added a delightful creaminess to the mixture while the peanuts added a satisfying crunchy texture. To me, this seemed like a jazzed-up rendition of regular tau huay, perfect for enjoying at any time of the day.
As my body heated up due to the humid conditions of the hawker centre, I quickly moved on to the Chrysanthemum Aiyu Combo (S$2.80) to enjoy some ice-cold relief.
Abseil: Excellent coffee & delicate desserts; nothing beats me-time in this moody cafe sanctuary
There were longan pieces, tapioca pearls, pieces of chrysanthemum aiyu jelly and a combination of yam and sweet potato mochi pieces resting atop the bed of shaved ice.
The jiggly, clear golden jelly was infused with delicate flavours of chrysanthemum tea. But I wished it was more robust in taste, as I had to close my eyes to concentrate in order to feel its presence.
The tapioca pearls and dual-coloured mochi pieces introduced varying degrees of chewiness, creating a pleasing contrast to the velvety aiyu jelly. Unfortunately, I couldn’t discern any flavour distinction between the yellow (sweet potato) and pale purple (yam) ones; they were merely chewy without differentiation.
While each component was delicious on its own, I felt that the overall combination was slightly disjointed. Perhaps if Ms Aiyu had incorporated a cream or milk element, it could have brought greater cohesion to the flavours.
Last but not least, we tried the Taiwan Style Beancurd (S$3.80). This warm dessert consisted of roasted peanuts, boba, yam and sweet potato mochi pieces and a generous serving of red beans accompanied the bean curd below.
If you’re a red bean lover, this dessert has plenty of it to keep a smile on your face. As for the rest of the elements, I found it almost identical to the Soya Beancurd Deluxe which I had earlier. This seemed to me like a less fancy version.
Final thoughts
For my next visit to Ms Aiyu, I’m definitely intrigued on how her other range of aiyu jelly will taste like.
With that said, I typically lean towards chilled desserts; however, in this case, the scenario is reversed. I’ve discovered that their selection of warm desserts holds a higher appeal for my palate.
If a dessert craving strikes, why not venture to Ang Mo Kio and pay her a visit. Share your impressions with me and let me know which you prefer.
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